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cmrineer | Published
January 13, 2018 | Comments Off on Get involved with Leadership Lancaster

The November 2017 selection for the Leadership Lancaster Book club was by David Greene, an NPR correspondent and McCaskey grad.

Leadership Lancaster is an exceptional leadership development program in the county. Their signature program is a CORE class that runs from September through May every year and introduces participants to all aspects of life in Lancaster from law and justice through health and human services.

Throughout the year, the group also has other ways to bring people together. One of those opportunities is the Leadership Lancaster book club. This informal gathering meets roughly four times a year at the Federal Tap House.

The books chosen often center on current events and leadership skills. The November 2017 selection was by NPR correspondent and McCaskey graduate, David Greene. Greene spoke at Leadership Inspired, an awards luncheon hosted by the group in April 2017.

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cmrineer | Published
November 19, 2017 | Comments Off on PETS is a lifesaver

Thanks to PETS on N. Queen Street, we were able to get treatment for Baby Cow on a Sunday.

Baby Cow returned from the kennel earlier this month and developed a case of kennel cough. Since she started coughing on a Sunday morning, we took her to PETS for treatment.

PETS (930 North Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17603) is open when your vet isn’t – evenings, weekends, and holidays. In my most recent tenure in Lancaster, I’ve used their facility four times – twice for emergency treatment.

During regular business hours, PETS is a specialty veterinary clinic offering access to specialists like oncologists and ophthalmologists from nearby areas. Baby Cow twice went to see an ophthalmologist who travels there once a month. Without their services, I would have taken two days off work to travel to her office in Kennett Square.

Keep this facility in mind if you’re a pet owner in Lancaster County. They can be a lifesaver and a timesaver.

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cmrineer | Published
November 19, 2017 | Comments Off on Rewards Programs: Iron Hill Edition

If you live in Lancaster, or the Mid-Atlantic for that matter, and like craft beer, check out Iron Hill and their King of the Hill Rewards Program. When the Where’s Pom team moved to the West Side of Lancaster City, the building housing Iron Hill had yet to be built. Since the team loves craft beer, we were beside ourselves with joy when learning of our new neighbor. The business opened around Thanksgiving 2005 and was immediately packed. Holiday, we thought. Well, it’s been packed every day since then too.

Iron Hill has locations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. While the food is a little steep, it’s very good, and the place is very well run. We became King of the Hill members some years ago, and you get points for every dollar you spend on food there. The points add up quickly, and with 250, you get $25 off your bill. They also have events every month just for members including beer tastings and new release parties. It’s a great loyalty tool, and I notice the few regulars that I know have it. Cheers.

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cmrineer | Published
October 30, 2017 | Comments Off on We hope DipCo comes back better than ever

We’d like to take a moment to mourn the loss of The Lancaster Dispensing Company, which experienced a devastating fire on September 28. The fire caused $400,000 damage to the kitchen and bar. This little pub was located right next to Central Market on North Market Street. DipCo, as it was known, was a regular haunt of the team here at Where’s Pom. The beer selection was excellent. The food was very reasonably priced, and it was well run by a team of kick-ass women.

A lovely mug of stout on the bar at The Lancaster Dispensing Company. The Where’s Pom team regrets that we have no shots of the lovely interior to share.

If you like old buildings, then DipCo was another treat. It had a huge wooden bar with snow carrera marble top, a tin ceiling, and old wooden windows and wainscoting. The wood was painted, so I could never get a read on what type of wood it was.

It was a small place, which regularly had musical guests on the weekends. Due to its size, we never went here until Pennsylvania banned smoking as it filled with smoke from even one cigarette.

A benefit was recently organized to help the owners rebuild, but the Where’s Pom team knows from experience that fire rebuilding takes a long time. We hope they come back better than ever.

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cmrineer | Published
October 22, 2017 | Comments Off on 17603 is where it’s at

Lancaster’s 17603 zip code, which happens to be the zip code of this blog’s owners, has been identified as one of the nation’s hottest hipster communities. That’s right. Lancaster County, home of the Amish, is also pretty damn cool.

LNP reports, “The ZIP code 17603 is the 36th strongest such community in the U.S., according to Realtor.com and Yelp, which announced their findings on Thursday. Realtor.com, a website that lists homes for sale, examined the median number of days that homes for sale were on the market in each ZIP code. Yelp, a website that provides reviews of businesses by their customers, tallied the frequency of “hipster” mentions in reviews of businesses in each ZIP code.”

Sure, this doesn’t seem very scientific, but since we’re the recipients of such praise, we’ll take it. The city of Lancaster has been getting better and better, which is why the owners of this blog took great care to move here to the West side when we were looking for a home in 2005, and it’s why we run this blog. While prices fell in 2008, they’ve been climbing ever since, and it’s easy to see why. The city of Lancaster is charming. There are great homes in each section of the city. It’s under good leadership with many organizations like the Lancaster Community Foundation and Lancaster Alliance looking to make improvements as their mission. Work remains, and we’d like to see some more attention on some struggling quadrants, but we feel confident that the work continues.

A corgi relaxes on the seat in front of me on a Southwest flight from Chicago to Boise, Idaho, September 2017

overjoyed to board a few Southwest flights this September and see dogs on the plane. Dogs were on each of my flights to Boise. Since Southwest lets you choose a seat, I chose to sit next to each dog, the first of which was a Brussels Griffon and the second a buff-colored Corgi. I find dogs very relaxing to be around, so the dogs on a plane was a bonus I hadn’t expected. If dog-friendliness is unique to Southwest, then they just made a customer for life.

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cmrineer | Published
October 8, 2017 | Comments Off on Vintage Frames Reborn in Elizabethtown

I bought these vintage glasses at Antique World Mall in Boise, Idaho. Both were repaired and the lenses were replaced by Bouquet Mulligan DeMaio Eye Professionals in Elizabethtown, PA.

I was recently visiting relatives in another state when I found an amazing pair of vintage glasses at a vintage store. I left the store the first time without them being unsure if the lenses could be replaced. After consulting Google, I went back and felt it was worth the $49 to buy them and give it a try. I stopped by Bouquet Mulligan DeMaio Eye Professionals, P.C in Elizabethtown for a consultation. For a company that sells new glasses, they were really enthusiastic about this old pair. They have a number of technicians on staff that collect glasses or have an interest in vintage glasses. They were able to tell me all about the pair including the company and the year of manufacture, 1974. They were made in Fairfield, NJ. The pair I bought was in excellent condition. Apparently, the black plastic can become white with time, so my pair was not worn very much and stored away from sunlight.

When I returned for the finished pair, they had buffed the plastic, so they literally looked like new. The technician also noticed a mis-sized screw in the temple and fixed that as well. The cost to replace the lenses was well below the cost of a new pair, and they did a fantastic job.

Apparently, you can replace lens in plastic frames, but there is a chance the plastic could break. This shop was willing to give it a try, and the results were fabulous.

The vintage store I bought the first pair in also had a pair of square “Buddy Holly” style glasses, so I sent my dad to pick them up for me and send them. When they arrived, Bouquet Mulligan DeMaio repaired them as well. This pair was rough looking and less expensive, but when I picked them up, they, too, had been buffed to perfection. Ever wonder why everyone looks like they are wearing the same glasses in old photos? They were. I worked with store owner James Mulligan on this pair, and he explained that labs used to buy the glasses in pieces with different sized bridges and arms and then assemble them in house.

There are plenty of vintage stores in Lancaster on North Queen Street and in Adamstown. If you find a pair that fits, head to Bouquet Mulligan DeMaio for a fix. They also have a line of reproduction eyewear that uses original vintage molds.

Happy shopping.

Bouquet Mulligan DeMaio also sells a line or reproduction vintage glasses that use original molds.

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cmrineer | Published
September 25, 2017 | Comments Off on Building Character rules my world

I found this dog bed at Building Character, 342 N Queen St, Lancaster, PA 17603

A few years ago, I purchased a beautiful hand-made, wooden dog bed at Building Character, 342 N Queen St, Lancaster, PA 17603. The shop sells recycled, new, and vintage items from a variety of sellers. Since my original purchase, I’ve acquired another dog. I tried contacting the original seller, but he no longer makes furniture. Recently, Building Character posted some photos on their Facebook page of a new furniture seller who used recycled wood. The bed jumped out immediately. It was perfect. I believe the dogs agree.

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cmrineer | Published
August 13, 2017 | Comments Off on Vinny’s Plants

Vinny’s Plants is on the corner of N. Prince and W. Walnut just east of Rachel’s.

I’ve been taking a class at the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design for the last several weeks. Class is Tuesday and Thursday from 6-9. One of the most wonderful things about Lancaster City is the ease of walking everywhere. My walk is 20 minutes, and every night I pass Vinny’s Plants. It appears to be a freelance plant selling business that operates in front of Vinny’s Attic Thrift Shop, 252 N. Prince Street. I have yet to see a sign for the latter, but with the warm summer weather, a small number of plants are displayed on the sidewalk along with a placard sign. I have four classes to go, so maybe someday soon, I’ll meet Vinny himself.

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cmrineer | Published
August 5, 2017 | Comments Off on Ollie’s Bargain Outlet

This rug from Ollie’s Bargain Outlet cost $69. They have piles of rugs of nice quality for low prices.

When we bought our home in 2005, it needed quite a bit of work, so certain projects just fell off the radar immediately. One of those items was hardwood floor repair. Built in 1928, our home is on the newer side for the city of Lancaster having been built in one of the former suburbs on the north west side of the city. The floor is 1.5 in oak throughout. That’s right, every single floor is oak hardwood. Imagine finding that in a new home. You wouldn’t. Most of it is in passable shape for a house this old, but the dining room had numerous water spots and stains. My solution upon moving in was just to cover it with a rug. I found one for less than $100 at Ollie’s Bargain Outlet.

This rug lasted years until we acquired Baby Cow. Baby Cow arrived to us having lived her entire life outside. Potty training an adult dog is quite a process, and Baby Cow never stopped peeing on the Ollie’s rug. So despite looking just fine, the rug could never be thoroughly cleaned, and I hauled it in my Volvo to the transfer station a few months ago.

I just returned to Ollie’s hoping they had more rugs, and, indeed, they do. I chose one that is the thickness of regular carpet this time, but it’s no less lovely. I thought a thinner rug might be easier to thoroughly clean if Baby Cow has an urge to pee on this one too. As you can see, the dogs like it quite a lot.